oxygen sensor replacement?

[tortuga]

have a 95 ford f250 with a 7.5 liter gets awful full mileage I was told that changing the oxygen sensor would help to improve the mileage does that make sense?

[HoleyMufflers]

engine block temp sensor can easily do that (not the one on the radiator).

you might try a seafoam treatment. at least a manual cleaning of induction sensors.
http://www.seafoamsales.com/

[Richard]

By awful fuel mileage what do you mean? At best this truck 18 mpg on the highway, if you're not carrying a load. You could get as bad of 9 mpg or LESS if you have a load on. So first what is your fuel mileage? Then we can talk.

[mjohnson]

An oxygen sensor replacement would improve the mileage on a 2007 F250. You have a 95 F250 with God knows how many miles, engine issues, differential and transmission worned out, etc.

If the gas mileage bother you get another truck. Don't invest $300 at the time in a clonker.

[Yacajoo]

Well, that would be a $300 chance. Before, I would try a couple bottles of fuel Injector cleaner first for under $10... Usually, if you don't have a check engine light for the sensor, it is ok.

[Matt]

That makes sense however your check engine light would come on if they were truly bad. It could not hurt anything but your pocket book though. O2 sensors are a maintenance item like a fuel filter ETC. I would try looking at your spark plugs first however as if they are worn they will eat into your fuel economy dramatically

[Christian]

A 95 F250 with a 7.5L is going to get awful fuel mileage period. Changing an O2 sensor on a whim isn't going to change a thing. Clean injectors, new tune up parts and a clean air filter might help a little. What will really help is NOT pushing the vertical pedal on the right :-)

[CournelSanders]

Only if you first test the O2 sensor and it fails. Randomly changing parts on bar room advice is a fools pursuit.

[scott]

The oxygen sensor does control the air/fuel ratio. Replacement of the O2 sensor should be done only if the sensor tests bad. Diagnosing for any problems would be a better course of action and less wasteful of dollars. If maintenance has been lax several other items might be causing the poor mileage. Spark plugs, Injector cleaning, air filters might be items to look at for mileage improvement.

[bobweb]

There are too many other reasons for poor gas mileage to blame it on the oxygen sensors. It's better to spend your money on diagnosing any engine misfire or engine too rich problems in my opinion. The O2 sensors simply tell you how your engine air to fuel ratio is performing. It's true that they can need replacement, but many times they are replaced when they're not bad. It's worth a diagnosis by the Ford dealer to see what their shop says as long as your dealer has a good reputation.

You also need to reset your odometer trip mileage to zero when you get a full tank of gas. Then drive until you fill up the tank again. Record the number of gallons used on the gas pump. Divide the number of trip odometer miles driven by the number of gallons used to get Miles per Gallon. Do it several times and save the results to show your dealer's shop.